Why do these people come to the United States?
If you ask the immigrants, you will receive a myriad of reasons why, but most responses can be summarized as follows:
Reunite a Family
Poverty / Hunger
Persecution / War
Employment
Freedom
It is hard for most Americans to imagine the living conditions that exist for the majority of our planet. Most cannot imagine the utter poverty and despair that hundreds of millions (maybe even billions) of people live in. We see pictures of war, we hear about millions dying of starvation, and we read of religious and racial violence and millions maimed or killed. But most Americans think these situations are rare. Some even think they don't exist outside of the TV ads soliciting money "for the children". But they are real, I have seen them with my own eyes. Can you put yourself in their place?
Imagine your eight or nine year old child having to run out in traffic to wash the windows of cars at a stoplight in the HOPES that the vehicles driver will give them a dime. Of course, many times, the drivers simply start to drive off with a child still hanging off their windshield to avoid giving away that dime.
Imagine your family living on a small lot of land that you have somehow managed to scrape up enough money to buy. No running water, no electricity, no telephone, just a bunch of trees, some rope and some tarps.
Imagine a single mother, left behind by her husband with an infant, a toddler, and nowhere to stay. Living on the street, spending the day sitting on the curb with the hand raised out begging for a little bit of money to feed the children. There is no welfare, no food stamps, no subsidized housing, simply the desire to keep your children alive in the hopes that they will one day have a roof over their heads.
Then imagine that there is another place, a land of opportunity, where you have heard that if you can simply get there, you will be able to give your children a better life. A land where everybody is rich, gets three banquet sized meals a day, drives fancy cars, and wears designer clothes. You hear that the government there welcomes immigrants, even illegal ones, and you are guaranteed a job. You simply need to get there....
What would you do?
The reason people enter the United States in such massive numbers, both legally and illegally, is in search of their dream. The dream of being able to educate their children past second or third grade. The dream of being able to liv in peace. The dream of living without the fear that armed troops are going to enter your house, and dismember the entire family. The dream to be able to watch their children grow up and be successful. The dream of watching your children grow up in a land where the only limit is the ability to dream.
The United States is THE GREATEST country on this planet, and to this day, the poor, the persecuted and the down-trodden from all corners of the world long to come for the opportunity and freedoms we provide. For those naysayers who wish to talk bad about our country, please go spend a year living in ANY other country, living off of their economy and wages, and when you come back, see if we are as bad as you previously thought.
Poverty / Hunger
Persecution / War
Employment
Freedom
It is hard for most Americans to imagine the living conditions that exist for the majority of our planet. Most cannot imagine the utter poverty and despair that hundreds of millions (maybe even billions) of people live in. We see pictures of war, we hear about millions dying of starvation, and we read of religious and racial violence and millions maimed or killed. But most Americans think these situations are rare. Some even think they don't exist outside of the TV ads soliciting money "for the children". But they are real, I have seen them with my own eyes. Can you put yourself in their place?
Imagine your eight or nine year old child having to run out in traffic to wash the windows of cars at a stoplight in the HOPES that the vehicles driver will give them a dime. Of course, many times, the drivers simply start to drive off with a child still hanging off their windshield to avoid giving away that dime.
Imagine your family living on a small lot of land that you have somehow managed to scrape up enough money to buy. No running water, no electricity, no telephone, just a bunch of trees, some rope and some tarps.
Imagine a single mother, left behind by her husband with an infant, a toddler, and nowhere to stay. Living on the street, spending the day sitting on the curb with the hand raised out begging for a little bit of money to feed the children. There is no welfare, no food stamps, no subsidized housing, simply the desire to keep your children alive in the hopes that they will one day have a roof over their heads.
Then imagine that there is another place, a land of opportunity, where you have heard that if you can simply get there, you will be able to give your children a better life. A land where everybody is rich, gets three banquet sized meals a day, drives fancy cars, and wears designer clothes. You hear that the government there welcomes immigrants, even illegal ones, and you are guaranteed a job. You simply need to get there....
What would you do?
The reason people enter the United States in such massive numbers, both legally and illegally, is in search of their dream. The dream of being able to educate their children past second or third grade. The dream of being able to liv in peace. The dream of living without the fear that armed troops are going to enter your house, and dismember the entire family. The dream to be able to watch their children grow up and be successful. The dream of watching your children grow up in a land where the only limit is the ability to dream.
The United States is THE GREATEST country on this planet, and to this day, the poor, the persecuted and the down-trodden from all corners of the world long to come for the opportunity and freedoms we provide. For those naysayers who wish to talk bad about our country, please go spend a year living in ANY other country, living off of their economy and wages, and when you come back, see if we are as bad as you previously thought.
No comments:
Post a Comment